Jane, 59

‘Jane’ was diagnosed with terminal endometrial cancer after hospital doctors failed to recognise that she had symptoms which were suggestive of cancer and provide treatment. Jane had to stop working and was no longer able provide the financial stability her daughter required.

After Jane’s case was taken on by Rachael Heyes, a specialist medical negligence solicitor at JMW, Jane was awarded £450,000 in compensation so that she and her family could cope with the financial fall out of her devasting delay in diagnosis.

Heavy bleeding

Jane had a history of very heavy irregular / intermenstrual bleeding (bleeding in between her periods) and this was initially brought under control by having a hormonal contraception device placed in her womb. However, this was not to last, and her heavy bleeding returned and became progressively worse, to the point that it was impacting on her daily life. Jane therefore made an appointment with her GP and was referred to hospital so she could be seen by a doctor specialising in gynaecology.

A few weeks later Jane’s appointment with a gynaecologist took place. However the doctor failed to take a proper history of Jane’s symptoms and the nature of her bleeding, in particular the fact that her bleeding was irregular and she was bleeding in between her periods, which is a sign of cancer. Instead, he recommended that Jane undergo an ablation procedure (surgery to destroy the lining of the uterus).

A few weeks later Jane developed severe pain in her abdomen and was admitted to hospital. She was diagnosed with severe inflammation in her gall bladder. Jane was advised to have her gall bladder removed, which was done two months later and she was forced to cancel the ablation procedure.

It was the following year when Jane was referred back to the same gynaecologist by her GP due to her ongoing issues with irregular bleeding- by this point she had daily bleeding. The doctor specialising in gynaecology prescribed a higher dose of hormone medication but when this made no difference Jane chose to undergo a hysterectomy (surgical removal of her womb). Jane’s womb was found to have a cancerous tumour and she was referred to the oncology team for management (the department specialising in the treatment of cancers).

Further investigations revealed that the cancer had spread to Jane’s lymph nodes and was terminal.

JMW’s investigation

Feeling that there were missed opportunities to diagnose her cancer before it reached such a severe stage, Jane searched for a specialist medical negligence solicitor and was put in touch with JMW.

JMW’s experts confirmed that the gynaecologist who saw Jane had acted negligently by not considering cancer as a possibility and performing a biopsy. Persistent irregular bleeding / bleeding in between periods is a recognised sign of gynaecological cancers and Jane’s long history of this and a failure of previous treatment meant that her symptoms warranted investigation.

After gathering evidence from leading independent medical experts, JMW was able to build a strong case for Jane.

Solicitor Rachael Heyes was then able to negotiate a compensation settlement of £450,000 for Jane so that she had peace of mind that there will be money to help her and her family.